On a Higher Level

 

I saw that on Tumblr the other day—the writer knew she was an adult, but she needed help from a higher-level adult. It resonated. A lot.

I don’t think I’m particularly bad at being an adult. I pay my rent, maintain my car, and mostly keep my kid out of major trouble. But I don’t really feel like…a higher-level adult. I mean, I’ve been adulting for more than twenty years and I still can’t make myself keep my bedroom neat. I like it neat—I just don’t always keep it that way.

And writing. You’ve read Siri trying to find ways to write more. You’ve heard from Erin and Kit when they don’t get enough writing in. Well, I’m with them. It may look like I produce, but I know that I spend way too much time not writing.

So I’m trying to organize my life. To level up. To get my stuff together. I mean, if I can learn to think of doing the dishes and keeping up on the litterbox as grinding, maybe I can make this work.

So. Getting my stuff together. All in one, or at least several closely-spaced, pile(s).

Per Flylady’s suggestion, I signed up for Cozi. I can keep a family calendar, multiple to-do lists, a meal planner, and shopping lists updated and always on hand through my new phone. (Yes, I gave in and got a smart phone. See “leveling up.”)

We use Habit.RPG to put some fun in those daily drudgery tasks. I think it’s been a month since I last clicked that I’d picked up fallen clothes in my closet, but I do some of the stuff on it. Sometimes. Enough that I mostly don’t die.

I’ve used my newfound Excel skills to make spreadsheets for tracking grades, spending, and words. Did you know it’s also great for flowcharts? I’m really falling for Excel lately. If it helps me keep the 16yo on track for anything ever… (last created was a flowchart for putting away dishes. “Is it clean or is there stuff stuck to it?” is one of the questions. Because she’s 16, and dishes are Not a Priority in her life.)

I use Thunderbird for email, and the calendar extension is Lightning. I’m using that to set up a sort-of schedule each night. At this time I make dinner. At this time I screw around on the internet keep up on stuff that I need to do on the internet. At this time I write, edit, or plan, and by lork I’d better be doing that at that time because it’s not going to be pretty if I don’t get my life in order.

John Lennon sang that “life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” I don’t think that’s a good way to go about life. So I’m making a quick and easy (I hope) plan.

Screw Around Less.

Write More.

And there it is. Adulting. At a higher level. I think..

But then again, high-level adults probably don’t write blog posts in Berkshire Swash just because they can. So maybe I should rethink this higher-level adult thing.

How about Tempus Sans ITC? Is that a more adult font?

Should I go with Comic Sans just to explode some brains?

Probably brain-exploding isn’t a higher-level adult goal either. Hmm. This may be more work than I’m really ready for.

…do higher-level adults eat Reese’s Puffs for dinner because they just don’t want to cook?

 

 

4 Comments:

  1. You’re still adulting at a higher level than me.

  2. Comic Sans! *twitch*

    I adore Excel. I’ve been using it for scene-by-scene outlines for several years now (created while I’m writing, not before — still a pantser at heart!) and just started using it to track writing progress. I love tracking things…and making lists…yay!

    Still working on the other parts of adulting, though. And levelling up. Lately that has involved trying to do better at self-care, but I’m hoping to expand.

    Adulting is hard, yo.

  3. Adulting *is* hard. I finally found a way to keep myself from goofing off on the internet while trying to write. The Pomodoro Method, which is basically writing for x minutes, taking a break, repeat 3 mores times, and then you get a longer break. So if I write the entire time, I can goof off on my breaks. It seems to be working so far.

    I could never quite figure out Excel. I’m envious.

  4. I basically just use Excel as if it were a Word table, except there’s no worry about running out of room in the margins! Oh, and right now I’m also using somebody else’s template for a writing productivity tracker, so they set up the formulas and such.

    Pomodoro is working for you, huh? Might have to try that….

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